diff --git a/document.cpp b/document.cpp
index 750ef65117..953ac6d825 100644
--- a/document.cpp
+++ b/document.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 #include "document.h"
 #include "node.h"
+#include "parser.h"
 #include <fstream>
 
 namespace YAML
@@ -29,7 +30,10 @@ namespace YAML
 		Clear();
 
 		std::ifstream fin(fileName.c_str());
-		m_pRoot = new Node;
-		m_pRoot->Read(fin);
+		Parser parser(fin);
+		if(!parser)
+			return;
+
+		m_pRoot = parser.ReadNextNode();
 	}
 }
diff --git a/node.cpp b/node.cpp
index 0da7c2b0ce..33c688fb13 100644
--- a/node.cpp
+++ b/node.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 #include "node.h"
 #include "content.h"
+#include "parser.h"
+#include "scalar.h"
+#include "sequence.h"
 
 namespace YAML
 {
@@ -18,7 +21,14 @@ namespace YAML
 		m_pContent = 0;
 	}
 
-	void Node::Read(std::istream& in)
+	void Node::Read(Parser *pParser, const std::string& token)
 	{
+		Clear();
+
+		if(token == std::string("") + SeqToken) {
+			m_pContent = new Sequence(pParser);
+		} else {
+			m_pContent = new Scalar(token);
+		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/node.h b/node.h
index e1e5d1db75..c8bd7e5ba3 100644
--- a/node.h
+++ b/node.h
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ namespace YAML
 	const std::string MapTag = "!!map";
 
 	class Content;
+	class Parser;
 
 	class Node
 	{
@@ -18,7 +19,7 @@ namespace YAML
 		~Node();
 
 		void Clear();
-		void Read(std::istream& in);
+		void Read(Parser *pParser, const std::string& token);
 
 	private:
 		std::string m_tag;
diff --git a/parser.cpp b/parser.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..999fa90c13
--- /dev/null
+++ b/parser.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,141 @@
+#include "parser.h"
+#include "node.h"
+
+namespace YAML
+{
+	Parser::Parser(std::istream& in): INPUT(in), m_ok(true)
+	{
+		m_state.push(State(C_BLOCK, -1, true));
+
+		// read header
+		std::string token = ReadNextToken();
+		if(token != DocStart)
+			m_ok = false;
+	}
+
+	Parser::~Parser()
+	{
+	}
+
+	Parser::operator bool() const
+	{
+		return m_ok;
+	}
+
+	bool Parser::operator !() const
+	{
+		return !m_ok;
+	}
+
+	bool Parser::IsWhitespace(char ch)
+	{
+		return (ch == ' ' || ch == '\n' || ch == '\r' || ch == '\t');
+	}
+
+	void Parser::Putback(const std::string& str)
+	{
+		for(int i=str.size()-1;i>=0;i--)
+			INPUT.putback(str[i]);
+	}
+
+	// StringWhitespace
+	// . Strips up to n whitespace characters (or as many
+	//   as there are, if n is -1)
+	void Parser::StripWhitespace(int n)
+	{
+		while(--n >= 0 && IsWhitespace(INPUT.peek()))
+			INPUT.get();
+	}
+
+	int Parser::GetNumOfSpaces()
+	{
+		// get 'em out
+		int n = 0;
+		while(INPUT.peek() == ' ') {
+			INPUT.get();
+			n++;
+		}
+
+		// put 'em back
+		for(int i=0;i<n;i++)
+			INPUT.putback(' ');
+
+		return n;
+	}
+
+	// SeqContinues
+	// . Returns true if the next item to be read is a continuation of the current sequence.
+	bool Parser::SeqContinues()
+	{
+		const State& state = m_state.top();
+		if(state.context != C_BLOCK)
+			return false;
+
+		int n = GetNumOfSpaces();
+		return (n == state.indent);
+	}
+
+	// ReadNextNode
+	// . Reads and returns the next node from the current input (to be used recursively).
+	// . The caller is responsible for cleanup!
+	Node *Parser::ReadNextNode()
+	{
+		if(!INPUT)
+			return 0;
+
+		std::string token = ReadNextToken();
+		if(token == DocStart || token == DocEnd)
+			return 0;	// TODO: putback DocStart?
+
+		Node *pNode = new Node;
+		pNode->Read(this, token);
+		return pNode;
+	}
+
+	// ReadNextToken
+	// . Reads:
+	//   . If the first character is non-whitespace, non-special token, then until
+	//     the end of this scalar.
+	std::string Parser::ReadNextToken()
+	{
+		const State& state = m_state.top();
+
+		if(state.startingNewLine) {
+			int n = GetNumOfSpaces();
+			StripWhitespace(n);
+			if(n > state.indent) {
+				m_state.push(State(C_BLOCK, n, true));
+			};
+
+			while(m_state.top().startingNewLine && n < m_state.top().indent)
+				m_state.pop();
+		}
+
+		char ch = INPUT.peek();
+		if(IsWhitespace(ch))
+			return "";	// TODO
+
+		if(ch == SeqToken) {
+			// grab token
+			INPUT.get();
+
+			// is next token whitespace?
+			if(!IsWhitespace(INPUT.peek())) {
+				// read entire line
+				std::string line;
+				std::getline(INPUT, line);
+				return ch + line;
+			}
+
+			// if so, strip whitespace and go
+			StripWhitespace();
+
+			return std::string("") + SeqToken;
+		}
+
+		// read until end-of-line
+		std::string line;
+		std::getline(INPUT, line);
+		return line;
+	}
+}
diff --git a/parser.h b/parser.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fbbae0b216
--- /dev/null
+++ b/parser.h
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include <ios>
+#include <string>
+#include <stack>
+
+namespace YAML
+{
+	class Node;
+
+	const std::string DocStart = "---";
+	const std::string DocEnd = "...";
+
+	const char SeqToken = '-';
+
+	enum CONTEXT { C_BLOCK, C_FLOW };
+
+	class Parser
+	{
+	public:
+		struct State
+		{
+			State(CONTEXT context_, int indent_, bool startingNewLine_)
+			: context(context_), indent(indent_), startingNewLine(startingNewLine_) {}
+
+			CONTEXT context;
+			int indent;
+			bool startingNewLine;
+		};
+
+	public:
+		Parser(std::istream& in);
+		~Parser();
+
+		operator bool () const;
+		bool operator !() const;
+
+		// parse helpers
+		static bool IsWhitespace(char ch);
+		void Putback(const std::string& str);
+		void StripWhitespace(int n = -1);
+		int GetNumOfSpaces();
+		bool SeqContinues();
+
+		// readers
+		Node *ReadNextNode();
+		std::string ReadNextToken();
+
+	private:
+		bool m_ok;
+
+		std::istream& INPUT;
+		std::stack <State> m_state;
+	};
+}
diff --git a/scalar.cpp b/scalar.cpp
index 787e0960a5..4552194b59 100644
--- a/scalar.cpp
+++ b/scalar.cpp
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 namespace YAML
 {
-	Scalar::Scalar()
+	Scalar::Scalar(const std::string& data): m_data(data)
 	{
 	}
 
diff --git a/scalar.h b/scalar.h
index 5f3e068a16..79b69d6897 100644
--- a/scalar.h
+++ b/scalar.h
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ namespace YAML
 	class Scalar: public Content
 	{
 	public:
-		Scalar();
+		Scalar(const std::string& data);
 		virtual ~Scalar();
 
 	protected:
diff --git a/sequence.cpp b/sequence.cpp
index ef1d33649a..c9d3e4c4ae 100644
--- a/sequence.cpp
+++ b/sequence.cpp
@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
 #include "sequence.h"
 #include "node.h"
+#include "parser.h"
 
 namespace YAML
 {
-	Sequence::Sequence()
+	Sequence::Sequence(Parser *pParser)
 	{
+		Read(pParser);
 	}
 
 	Sequence::~Sequence()
@@ -12,4 +14,12 @@ namespace YAML
 		for(unsigned i=0;i<m_data.size();i++)
 			delete m_data[i];
 	}
+
+	void Sequence::Read(Parser *pParser)
+	{
+		do {
+			Node *pNode = pParser->ReadNextNode();
+			m_data.push_back(pNode);
+		} while(pParser->SeqContinues());
+	}
 }
diff --git a/sequence.h b/sequence.h
index cf7d1dd4d7..f230505b7b 100644
--- a/sequence.h
+++ b/sequence.h
@@ -6,13 +6,16 @@
 namespace YAML
 {
 	class Node;
+	class Parser;
 
 	class Sequence: public Content
 	{
 	public:
-		Sequence();
+		Sequence(Parser *pParser);
 		virtual ~Sequence();
 
+		void Read(Parser *pParser);
+
 	protected:
 		std::vector <Node *> m_data;
 	};
diff --git a/test.yaml b/test.yaml
index dfd38a095f..7ac0238de2 100644
--- a/test.yaml
+++ b/test.yaml
@@ -1,2 +1,4 @@
 ---
-test
\ No newline at end of file
+- milk
+- eggs
+- cheese
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/yaml-reader.vcproj b/yaml-reader.vcproj
index d5ea568d28..a235c5c670 100644
--- a/yaml-reader.vcproj
+++ b/yaml-reader.vcproj
@@ -181,6 +181,10 @@
 				RelativePath=".\node.cpp"
 				>
 			</File>
+			<File
+				RelativePath=".\parser.cpp"
+				>
+			</File>
 			<File
 				RelativePath=".\scalar.cpp"
 				>
@@ -211,6 +215,10 @@
 				RelativePath=".\node.h"
 				>
 			</File>
+			<File
+				RelativePath=".\parser.h"
+				>
+			</File>
 			<File
 				RelativePath=".\scalar.h"
 				>
@@ -225,6 +233,10 @@
 			Filter="rc;ico;cur;bmp;dlg;rc2;rct;bin;rgs;gif;jpg;jpeg;jpe;resx;tiff;tif;png;wav"
 			UniqueIdentifier="{67DA6AB6-F800-4c08-8B7A-83BB121AAD01}"
 			>
+			<File
+				RelativePath=".\test.yaml"
+				>
+			</File>
 		</Filter>
 	</Files>
 	<Globals>